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The Batman (2008 film)
The Batman is a 2016 American superhero film directed by Robert Jones-Bussing, who co-wrote the screenplay with Nathan Blake and the story himself. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the first installment in a planned trilogy which will be connected to the upcoming Justice League project, which will also be directed by Robert Jones-Bussing. The film stars Jon Hamm, Guy Pearce, Brooke Burns, Christopher Plummer, Bryan Cranston, Adam Baldwin, Danny John-Jules and Michael C. Hall. The film reboots the Batman film series for the second time and tells the origin story of the character while drawing some elements from various Batman publications and storylines such as Year One and Gotham Central. The reboot was initially planned before the final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman ''trilogy, ''The Dark Knight Rises, was even finished. Nolan stated that he would not be directing the reboot, but he would stay on as producer along with Emma Thomas. Nolan later redacted this statement in August 2013, when the reboot was still in the pre-production stage. Robert Bussing-Jones was later attached to the reboot as director and writer for both the film's script and screenplay along with fellow director Nathan Blake. The Batman garnered very positive reviews and was financially successful, grossing over $86 million on its opening weekend and eventually $475 million worldwide. The film opened on August 3, 2016, in the United States and Canada in 4,423 theaters. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave The Batman a 92% approval rating, with top critics praising the film's story and faithfulness to the comics while also lauding Jon Hamm's performance as Bruce Wayne. However, some criticisms arose regarding the two-storyline plot that Jones-Bussing went with, with some saying that the plot "is a little hard to follow at times." It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Picture, and Best Art Direction and was also nominated for two more: Best Sound Editing and Best Original Score. Plot 'Prologue' Eight-year old Bruce Wayne and his best friend Thomas "Tommy" Elliot meet Roman Sionis, the prodigal son of two lavish socialites, and become friends with him. Flashing foward nearly 23 years later, Bruce returns to Gotham City after an apparent 17-year period and finds that the city has been crippled by organized crime. Returning to his former home Wayne Manor, Bruce retells his entire life story to Alfred, who believed Bruce had disappeared and possibly perished. The film returns to Bruce's time as an eight-year old, going to the Monarch Theatre in Gotham City with his parents. When Bruce becomes ill, he and his parents leave the theater and enter an alleyway known as Park Row, where the family is accosted by a mugger. Demanding money and Bruce's mother Martha's pearl necklace, the mugger is grabbed by Bruce's father, Thomas. The two get into a scuffle before the mugger's gun goes off, killing Thomas. The mugger then shoots Martha when she screams. Panicked, the mugger leaves Bruce with his deceased parents. Some time after, a funeral is held for the Waynes and Bruce is left in the care of the family's loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. As time passes, Bruce feels spite for the mugger who got away, and begins to forge a manifest destiny for himself, a destiny where he would become a symbol that would inspire people and rid Gotham of the evil that claimed his parents' lives. Stowing away on a plane to England, Bruce trains abroad for nearly seventeen years while many believe him to have disappeared or mysteriously died. 'Tommy's Hardship' During this time, Tommy, now an apsiring medical professional, reminsces about his childhood after his friendship with Bruce began to deteriorate. In an attempt to rekindle the relationship, Tommy invites Bruce to a summer camp with him. There, Tommy becames enraged when a boy insults him and pummels the boy to the point of near-death. Some time later, Tommy is taken to a mental institution and is forced to attend several therapy sessions. Here, Tommy reveals that his father was abusive and almost always drunk and his mother was gravely sick and never attempted to resolve Tommy's predicament directly and instead taught him Aristotle so he can be passive with his father. Spiteful for this, Tommy cuts the brakes on his parents' car in an attempt to get revenge along with the family fortune. Tommy's parents get into a car crash the next day, and only his mother survives due to the quick actions of none other than Bruce's father, who was also a very proficient medical doctor. Tommy then returns to the present, and it is shown that Tommy's mother managed to get through her injuries but got sicker as time went on, forcing Tommy to care for her completely. 'Evaluation' Meanwhile, Roman Sionis has assumed a high-ranking position in his father's company, Janus Cosmetics. After Roman's parents berate him about his liason with Circe, his personal secretary, Roman takes to their mansion by night and sets it on fire, killing them both. The next day, Bruce learns that Joe Chill, the mugger who killed his parents, will be released on probation in the next few hours. Grabbing a gun he found in his father's drawer, Bruce drives to the courthouse and observes Chill getting into a police car. As Bruce exits his car, the police vehicle explodes. Absconding to a local bar, Bruce begins to drink in a winding depression. Before leaving, Bruce is confronted by Tommy, who sits with him at the bar for a couple minutes. Afterwards, Bruce returns to Wayne Manor and confesses his previous intentions to murder Chill to Alfred. 'Corruption' James Gordon, a police detective, is transferred to Gotham from Chicago with his pregnant wife and niece/adoptive daughter to assume the rank of sergeant. In his first day on the job, Gordon witnesses his partner, Arnold Flass, beat up on a teenager for entertainment. Stopping Flass, Gordon becomes concerned about the credibility of the GCPD and begins to investigate its ranks while resuming his basic work. Amid this, Bruce returns to Wayne Enterprises to reassume full control of the company. Astounded that Bruce is alive and well, the board of directors sit down with Bruce and current CEO Lucius Fox, who brings Bruce up to speed on the current status of the company. During Bruce's time out of the country, Lucius was called in to "save" the company, ultimately investing in several technological innovations and other departments, making Wayne Enterprises more than just an industrial powerhouse. Curious as to what the company invested, Bruce is shown various gadgets such as a bodysuit designed for combat and a personal parachute. Along the way, Bruce meets Neil Morton, an esteemed industrialist who helps produce supplements to most, if not all, of the company's investments. 'Beginnings' Ad interim, Roman has assumed control of Janus Cosmetics while remaining ignorant about his parents' demises, which have not yet been linked to Roman's malicious act. Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce begins to write down concepts for his "symbol". Tired, Bruce puts away his drawings and notices a large cabinet in the room. Opening the cabinet, Bruce sees a gray suit with a bat emblem sewn on it. Bringing the suit to Alfred, Bruce learns through a flashback that the suit was a halloween costume worn by his father during a party. Thomas and Martha are shown dancing together when a mysterious man summons him away. In the present, Bruce retrieves his drawings and begins to produce an image of the Wayne Enterprises bodysuit and after completing, draws a bat symbol on the chest area. The next evening, Gordon and Flass perform a stakeout on a mob meeting between two rival factions, one of which belong to Carmine "The Roman" Falcone. After the meeting goes awry, Gordon and Flass are forced to intervene. Flass is shot, but Gordon manages to take down all of the hostile mob members and arrest the others. It is then revealed that Bruce is watching this event from afar, and begins to leave. Along the way, Bruce is propositioned by a teenage prostitute. After declining, Bruce is grabbed by the prostitute's pimp, and the two fight until Gordon and Flass take notice. Flass breaks up the encounter and the two are both arrested. During the ride, Bruce breaks free and escapes while remaining unrecognized. Returning to Wayne Enterprises the following morning, Bruce examines the bodysuit with Alfred and asks to borrow it. Later, Bruce travels into the seedy side of Gotham and performs some parkour to test the bodysuit. 'Rise and Fall' Meanwhile at Janus Cosmetics, Roman learns that his poor business acumen is slowly driving the company into the ground. In a last ditch effort to save the company, Roman orders the immediate creation and shipping of a new, untested makeup product that later proves to be a fatal toxin. As a result, Janus Cosmetics is bailed out by Wayne Enterprises and Roman is forced to give up control of the company in exchange for the appointment of a new Board of Directors. On top of this, Circe breaks up with Roman. Painfully humilated, Roman goes to his parents' crypt and carves a mask out of his father's ebony casket. Some time after, Bruce returns the bodysuit to Neil with some new concepts for possible additions; the highlights being a cape designed for gliding, a cowl, and several non-fatal weapons and gadgets such as the quirkly-named "batarang", a shuriken shaped like a bat. Hours later, Gordon walks to his car and is approached by three masked individuals, each carrying blunt objects. Gordon attempts to fight off the attackers, but is brutally beaten and warned not to pursue his secondary investigation. 'The Batman' Meanwhile, coverage of Wayne Enterprises' takeover of Janus Cosmetics is spearheaded by the hardnosed journalism of Vicki Vale. At a press conference organized by Bruce and Lucius, Bruce meets Vicki and the two go out to dinner. During the "date", Bruce receives a call from Neil, asking him to return to Wayne Enterprises. There, Bruce examines the new bodysuit, which is aptly titled "the Batsuit" by Neil. By night, Bruce puts on the Batsuit and journeys to the top of Wayne Enterprises while Neil looks on. Jumping off, Bruce flies through the city-- as Batman. During this, Gordon works with fellow detectives Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya to dig further into the corruption of the GCPD. As Renee and Crispus leave for the night, Gordon remembers something that one of the attackers said, which was a threat against Barbara-Eileen. Gordon, during this flashback, instantly recognizes the attacker's voice as Flass's. Leaving his desk, Gordon surprises Flass and knocks him in the head before stripping him naked and leaving him cuffed to a light post outside the GCPD building. 'Black Mask' Bruce, slowly accomodating to the Batsuit, begins using his "Bat-Vision" mode to find crimes in progress within the city. Finding a man being assaulted by several petty thieves, Bruce springs into action, stopping the thieves and helping the man up. Bruce is shocked to find that the man is Tommy Elliot. Bruce quickly leaves, but Tommy recognizes Bruce's voice as he grapples away. Meanwhile, much of Bruce's actions are documented by the Gotham Gazzette and Vicki Vale is reassigned to cover stories on "the Batman". Meanwhile, Gordon's capture of the mob members a week earlier is praised by the city and Gordon slowly rises up the ladder along with Bruce, who decides to meet Gordon face to face on top of the GCPD building. The two then form a working relationship in secret. Pursuing a lead by Gordon, Bruce surveys a secret dinner party hosted by Carmine Falcone. At the party, Roman, wearing the mask carved from his father's coffin, introduces himself as "Black Mask" to Falcone and proposes a plan of action against the police department that would ultimately pave the way for complete control of Gotham City. While examining the party, Bruce finds Commissioner Loeb in attendance along with Rupert Thorne, Mayor Hamilton Hill and several other famed politicians. Suiting up, Bruce crashes into the party, ultimately taking down most of the attendees. Thorne, Hill, Falcone and Roman are the only ones that escape. Tracking Falcone's movements, Bruce is lead to a warehouse in the old Gotham City Docks. There, Bruce apprehends Falcone and his men while SWAT teams arrive to take the warehouse. 'Revelations' In the wake of Carmine Falcone's apprehension, Roman gathers up Falcone's men and offers them positions in his rising criminal empire. Among these men include Victor Zsasz, Warren White, and Floyd Lawton, who later become Roman's lieutenants. Meanwhile, Bruce, as Batman, interrogates Falcone and forces him to give a list of all the corrupt figures residing in Gotham City. Admist the figures is a man by the name of Lew Moxon, a name that Bruce strangely recognizes. Questioning Falcone, Bruce learns that Lew Moxon hired Joe Chill to kill his parents. At Wayne Manor, Bruce enters a depressed state. Drunk, Bruce notices a strange well outside his bedroom window. In a stupor, Bruce examines the well and suddenly has a flashback of him falling into the well as a child. Alfred later arrives, and explains the truth to Bruce. After the fall, Bruce lost all knowledge of the event, ultimately forming a repressed memory. Alfred also expounds the events that resulted in the hit being taken out on his parents. During the party, Thomas was summoned away by a thug who was under Lew Moxon's command. That night, Moxon had been shot during a shootout with police and required medical attention. Thomas is ordered to treat Moxon's wound, but refuses, and instead overpowers the thugs. Police later arrive and arrest Moxon and his cronies. Returning to the present, Bruce becomes vengeful once again. Donning the Batsuit, Bruce tracks down Moxon only to find that the crime lord is in fact a frail amnesiac. Letting Moxon go, Bruce finally chooses to not let vengeance control his judgement. Meanwhile, Tommy watches the Gotham Evening News and observes the report about Batman's nabbing of Falcone. Angry, Tommy punches a window and attracts the attention of his mother, who has now started to recover from her illness. Tommy's mother then slaps him. 'False Face Society' Some time later, Bruce meets with Vicki to discuss "the Batman" again and end up sleeping together. The next morning, Bruce examines a new gadget at Wayne Enterprises: a miniature computer designed to be implanted on the wristband of the Batsuit. That evening, two Wayne Enterprises board members are found dead wearing bizarre masks. As Batman, Bruce examines the bodies and takes off one of the masks to find that the man's face is horribly disfigured. Finding a strange powder-like substance in the mask, Bruce takes a sample and leaves the rest to the police. At Wayne Enterprises, Bruce runs tests on the sample and finds that the substance is a toxin that bears a striking resemblance to the same toxin found in a failed line of makeup products that were shipped out by Janus Cosmetics shortly before its takeover. Meanwhile, Roman and his henchmen kidnap Circe, who is now working as a magazine model. Taking Circe to a secret location, Roman forces her to wear a mask laced with a small dose the toxin, disfiguring but not killing her. Roman then writes a letter to Bruce, telling him about his actions and his fervent hatred of him. 'The Assassin' Disturbed that Roman has turned to a life of crime, Bruce leaves. As he gets in his car, two bullets strike the driver window and grazes Bruce in the shoulder. Taking cover behind the car, another bullet pierces the rear view mirror. Realizing there is a sniper shooting at him, Bruce grabs a smoke bomb that was laying in his bag and throws it, creating a long-enough distraction for him to get inside Wayne Enterprises. A couple hours later, Bruce dons the Batsuit and investigates the bullet impact points and their trajectories. Bruce ultimately traces the trajectories to a skyscraper nearly five miles away. There, Bruce finds a tripod that the sniper used and takes it for fingerprint analysis. At Wayne Enterprises, Bruce discovers that the fingerprints belong to Floyd Lawton a.k.a. "Deadshot", an assassin-for-hire who's been in and out of Blackgate Penitentiary. Meanwhile, Commissioner Loeb declares Batman a "fugitive" in a public speech that Gordon attends. 'Moment of Truth' Taking Vicki out on a date, Bruce prepares to recount the truth about his identity to Vicki when he is suddenly jumped by men in strange-looking masks. Bruce is knocked out while Vicki is taken by one of the attackers. Waking up in a dark room tied to a chair, Bruce is confronted by Roman with Floyd Lawton, Victor Zsasz and Warren White in atttendance. As Roman prepares to kill him, Bruce breaks free from the chair, headbutting Roman and breaking Warren's arm. Bruce eventually finds Vicki; unharmed, but not conscious. Taking Vicki, Bruce escapes into the streets. Later on, Vicki awakens in a confused state. Explaining what happened, Bruce checks Vicki into a hotel room and later returns to the mansion. Relaying what happened to Alfred, Bruce realizes that he did not see the details of the building he and Vicki were being kept in, but ultimately took notice of Roman's penchant for masks. Forging a plan, Bruce organizes a masquerade ball in the hopes of drawing out Roman and ending his empire. 'Masquerade' At the masquerade ball, Bruce tasks Alfred with the objective of cutting the power to the mansion in case the plan goes awry. True to the plan, Roman, with Circe as his "date" along with his cronies arrive and mingle with the guests. Bruce and Roman then meet, talking about how their friendship ended up to the most recent moment. Meanwhile, Deadshot watches from afar and prepares to assassinate Bruce for the second time. Notcing that Roman is guiding him to the side, Bruce notices Deadshot and is pushed away by Circe, who is shot instead. Hearing the gunshot, the crowd panicks while Alfred cuts the power to the mansion. Roman manages to escape while Bruce quickly puts on the Batsuit and apprehends Zsasz, Deadshot and Warren. Cast *Jon Hamm as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A billionaire philanthropist whose parents were killed in front of him by a mugger when he was just a child. After going through immense training both in and out of Gotham City, Bruce uses his industrial resources with the help of Lucius Fox and Neil Morton to form an identity that preys on the criminal underworld by night-- the Batman. Previous cast choices included Gerard Butler and Matt Bomer. **Aaron Refvem as Bruce Wayne (age 14) *Guy Pearce as Roman Sionis / Black Mask: Once a friend of Bruce, Roman Sionis became the notorious crime lord known as Black Mask after his father's company, Janus Cosmetics, was forcefully bailed out and appointed a new board of directors by none other than Bruce himself. Black Mask serves as the main antagonist of the Batman storyline. Viggo Mortensen was previously considered for the role. **Max Charles as Roman Sionis (age 8) *Brooke Burns as Vicki Vale: A journalist of the Gotham Gazette ''who reports on Batman's activities and serves as Bruce's love interest. *Christopher Plummer as '''Alfred Pennyworth': One of Bruce's closest associates, Alfred Pennyworth was the loyal butler of Thomas and Martha Wayne before their deaths. Even so, Alfred stayed with Bruce throughout his childhood and later contributed to the creation of the Batman persona. *Bryan Cranston as James Gordon: A detective who tranferred from Chicago with his wife and young daughter, James Gordon witnessed first-hand the kind of corruption and criminality that plagued Gotham City. *Adam Baldwin as Floyd Lawton / Deadshot: A dangerously accurate henchman hired by Roman Sionis a.k.a. Black Mask to assassinate Bruce Wayne. Deadshot serves as the secondary antagonist of the Batman storyline. *Danny John-Jules as Lucius Fox: A mild-mannered businessman who becomes the CEO of Wayne Enterprises while Bruce is growing up. *Michael Madsen as Harvey Bullock: A dirty cop who is in the Homicide unit with Gordon. *Michael C. Hall as Thomas Elliot: A world-renowned surgeon who was once Bruce Wayne's best friend as a child, Thomas "Tommy" Elliot began to loathe Bruce's life of leisure and wealth. As time went on, Elliot became more deranged, and in the end, Elliot would forge an identity for himself, an identity designed to inflict torture on the one man he hated the most: Bruce Wayne. Thomas serves as the tertiary antagonist of the Batman storyline. **Cade Owens as Thomas Elliot (age 9) **Dakota Goyo as Thomas Elliot (age 15) *Brian Cox as Gillian Loeb: The current commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, Gillian B. Loeb is one of the many law enforcement officers under the corruption of Carmine Falcone. Gillian serves as the main antagonist of the Gordon storyline. *Stana Katic as Renee Montoya: An honest cop in the Major Crimes Unit, Renee Montoya is the only law enforcement officer other than Gordon who has come in frequent contact with Batman. *Thomas Gibson as Thomas Wayne: A gifted surgeon and philanthropist, Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha were murdered by a mugger while walking out of the Monarch Theatre in Gotham City. This unfortunate event would influence his son Bruce to become the caped crusader known as Batman. *Radha Mitchell as Martha Wayne: The beautiful wife of Dr. Thomas Wayne, Martha was killed along with her husband in an alley behind the Monarch Theatre in Gotham City while their son Bruce helplessly watched. *Mackenzie Crook as Joe Chill: A small-town thug who killed Bruce's parents. *Alan Dale as Lew Moxon: A rackateer and bank robber with ties to the mob. *Chris Noth as Arnold John Flass: Another crooked cop who works in the Homicide unit with Gordon. *Julie Bowen as Sarah Essen: One of the detectives working in the Homicide unit with Gordon. *Mark Strong as Warren White / "The Great White Shark": A crooked investor turned henchman who works for Roman Sionis. *Delroy Lindo as Hamilton Hill: The current mayor of Gotham City. *Peigi Barker as Barbara Gordon: The niece and adoptive daughter of James and Barbara Eileen-Gordon. *Jackie Earle Haley as Victor Zsasz / "The Butcher": A serial killer who works as a thug for Roman Sionis. *Jason Issacs as Neil Morton: An inventor who helps forge much of Batman's gadgets. Director Robert Jones-Bussing created the character specifically for the universe and stated that the name "Neil Morton" is a nod to Neil Hamilton, an actor who played Commissioner Gordon in the 1960s Batman television series and Wesley Morton, a character who appeared in the 1949 Batman and Robin serial. *Dennis Farina as Carmine "The Roman" Falcone: One of the most notorious crime bosses in Gotham City. Alan Moore and Frank Miller, veteran writers for various Batman and other famous comic-book publications and stories, make cameo appearances as two drinking buddies who witness Batman interrogating a False Face Society henchman. Adam West and Burt Ward, who both played Batman and Robin respectively in the 1960s Batman television series, also make cameo appearances as Vicki's co-workers. Themes 'Masks' The theme of "masks" is further expanded on and drawn from the first appearance of Black Mask. Jones-Bussing commented that "Sionis hated his parents and the 'masks' that they wore to try and fit in with the rich people. I think the whole theme of 'masks' was a brilliant ideal to work on and incorporate on to make it more then just a motif. I wanted to make it a moral of sorts. A lesson that people don't need to wear masks to fit in." 'Revenge' The idea of revenge becomes a recurring theme throughout the film. Bruce Wayne is motivated by revenge because of his parents' deaths, Roman Sionis is motivated by revenge because of his humilation by Wayne Enterprises and his former fiance, and Thomas Elliot is motivated by revenge because of his jealousy of Bruce Wayne. Appearances Individuals *Batman / Bruce Wayne *Black Mask / Roman Sionis *Alfred Pennyworth *Vicki Vale *James Gordon *Hush / Thomas Elliot* *Lucius Fox *Neil Morton *Deadshot / Floyd Lawton *Arnold Flass *Commissioner Gillian L. Loeb Technology *Bat-Vision / Detective Mode *Bat-Mini / Plecotus Weapons *Batarang *Explosive Gel *Remote Electric Charge Inspirations *''Year One'' *''Batman: The Animated Series'' *''Batman (1989)'' *''Batman: Arkham Asylum/City'' *''Gotham Central'' Reception The Batman received very positive reviews upon release. Based on 186 reviews from film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film earned a 92% approval rating -- an average rating of 8.7 out of 10. Many reviewers and critics praised the fresh approach to the character all the while making the retelling of the origin story more interesting than bland. Jon Hamm's performance as Bruce Wayne was critically lauded. IGN gave the film a 10 out of 10, saying "The Batman is a shining example of a comic book movie done perfectly." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times described The Batman as "an enticing superhero film filled with action, tragedy and emotion." and praised the cast performances as well as the direction. Many famed comic book writers have also reacted positively to the film. Alan Grant gave the film four stars, saying "The Batman was truly a spectacle. By the end of the film, you'll be wanting more." Kevin Smith said "The movie starts up at a rather slowed pace, but when it kicks off... oh boy, you'll be in for a ride." Jeph Loeb, writer for the TV series Lost and Smallville, declared "The Batman was great... and it even manages to relay a couple morals by the end, which is rather unique." Soundtrack The score for The Batman was composed by Vitaliy Zavadskyy and Charlie Spring, who had both been wanting to collaborate together in a motion picture. Robert Bussing-Jones invited Zavadskyy to compose The Batman's score after hearing his orchestral work in various plays across New York, saying that "his style of composing perfectly fit Batman's character." Zavadskyy agreed, but asked that fellow composer Charlie Spring would join. Sequel Robert Bussing-Jones confirmed during the film's production that he intended to make a trilogy. When the film was released, Bussing-Jones stated that "with such a stupefying response to the reboot, there's no doubt that we'll be expanding more on the Batman mythos in the future." The sequel's title was later revealed as ''The Knight. '' Category:Movies Category:XtranormalGeek Category:PG-13 Category:Featured Articles